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Center for Urban Waters - Grand Opening Celebration - NEW!
Grand Opening Celebration & Open HouseThursday, Sept. 9, 2010
1:30 p.m.
Featured speakers: Congressman Norm Dicks, Governor Chris Gregoire, Mayor Marilyn Strickland & others to be announced.
Program to be followed by building tours, laboratory demonstrations and educational displays.
Watch for more details.
Center for Urban Waters
The Center for Urban Waters, a new 51,205 square-foot office and laboratory building, was completed in Spring 2010. The new City of Tacoma facility was constructed to house the City's Environmental Services Division labs and offices, University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) research labs, and an office for the Puget Sound Partnership.
About 95 city employees moved into the building in April 2010, followed by the UW Tacoma Environmental Science field office, for faculty who support the research mission of the Center for Urban Waters. The Puget Sound Partnership is expected to move in during late summer.
The building is at 326 East D Street on the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway, across from downtown Tacoma and not far from I-5. Driving directions are included on the map.
Address:
326 East D Street
Tacoma, WA 98421-1801
A 75-foot dock has been constructed to accommodate water-monitoring vessels.
A community grand opening celebration and open house is being planned for later this year.
The project was constructed using an alternative approach to traditional public works projects. It was built by a nonprofit company created specifically for the project. The building is being occupied by the City under a lease-to-own contract. The Project Development section provides an overview of the approach used.
In addition to highlighting the City's dedication to urban water quality, the new facility is a showcase for the City's commitment to sustainable building practices and energy conservation. The City is pursuing LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible rating awarded under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. More information on LEED, the nationally recognized standard for green buildings, is available from the US Green Building Council.
While the building was under construction, Lorig Associates LLC, the company developing the Center for Urban Waters, produced a newsletter to provide brief updates on the project and the development process.
December 2009 issue
Older issues are posted on the News page.
For more information, e-mail urbanwatersinfo@cityoftacoma.org.